Valdez leads Knights past Maritime College

Newburgh - Mount Saint Mary College senior Carlos Valdez scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead his team to an 80-46 victory over Maritime College in Skyline Conference action on Saturday. The Knights move to 18-5 overall (13-3 Skyline), while the Privateers drop to 2-21 (2-14 Skyline).

Leading 15-9 after the game’s first six minutes, the Knights took complete control of the game with a 22-0 run. A fast break dunk from Valdez at the 6:45 was followed by a jumper from sophomore Chris Pisciotta as the Mount seized a 37-9 advantage. The Knights carried a 45-22 lead into the locker room and would not face a Maritime threat in the second half. The visitors pushed the lead to as many as 36 down the stretch before settling in for the 34-point win.

Valdez hit on 10-of-17 from the field and collected 17 rebounds for the second straight game. The senior now has 977 career rebounds, just 23 shy of becoming the first 1000-point, 1000-rebound player in school history. Fellow senior Kevin Milella was the only other Knight in double figures with 11. Sophomore Donte Howell added seven points and a team-high five assists.